A medical professional passes by a schedule for outpatient treatment at Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital, Sunday, a day before half of the medical professors of SNU and its affiliated hospitals plan to launch an indefinite walkout. Yonhap

Medical professors, as well as doctors at neighborhood clinics, plan to stage a collective walkout this week.

The move is feared to worsen disruptions in a medical system that is already reeling from the nationwide walkout by more than 10,000 trainee doctors, which began in late February to protest the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's policy to increase the annual medical school admissions quota.

All eyes are on how many of these senior doctors will join the planned strike.

While more than half of the professors at one major hospital expressed their intention to stop treating patients, and the Korean Medical Association (KMA) reported overwhelming support among its members, some anticipate low actual participation. This expectation stems from a growing number of physicians stating their reluctance to join the strike, citing an increasing reluctance to put patients at risk.

Medical professors at Seoul National University (SNU) and its affiliated hospitals vowed to launch an indefinite walkout starting Monday. They are demanding the complete cancellation of administrative measures that the government initiated to suspend the licenses of striking trainee doctors who defied a government order to return to work.

According to the emergency response committee of SNU medical professors on Sunday, 529 professors, accounting for 54.7 percent of the total, plan to indefinitely suspend their hospital-related work, including the treatment of outpatients and conducting surgeries.

The committee said the surgery room operation rate is expected to drop from the current 62.7 percent to 33.5 percent.

Kang Hee-kyung, who heads the committee, emphasized that this walkout does not target patients in critical condition or those suffering from rare diseases who can only receive treatment at SNU hospitals.

"The plan is not aimed at harming patients, but at sending a message to policymakers," Kang said in her message sent to SNU medical professors and the head of the hospital.

"This walkout will affect patients who can be treated at other hospitals or those who are not seriously affected by postponed treatments. We will continue to open dialysis and delivery rooms."

Professors at Severance Hospital and its affiliated hospitals also said they will launch an indefinite strike starting June 27, while those at other major hospitals are also discussing similar actions.

Patients and visitors are seen at Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital, Sunday, a day before half of the medical professors of SNU and its affiliated hospitals plan to launch an indefinite walkout. Yonhap

The KMA, for its part, will lead a nationwide walkout by primary care physicians starting Tuesday, in support of the protracted walkout by trainee doctors.

The nation's largest lobby group of doctors is urging the government to annul the medical school quota hike policy.

The KMA said that 70,800 out of its 111,861 members participated in the survey, and among them, 64,139, or 90.6 percent, supported the strike, with 52,015, or 73.5 percent, expressing a willingness to join the action.

However, the extent of the walkout's impact remains uncertain, as the plans have been affected by announcements of a boycott from some other doctors' groups. This includes a group of medical professors specializing in epilepsy, who emphasized the importance of safeguarding critical patients.

The Korea Obstetric Hospital Association and the Korea Children's Hospital Association have also officially announced their boycott of the walkout.

Data provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare indicated that only 4 percent of primary care physicians nationwide reported their intention to shut down their clinics on Tuesday in accordance with the KMA's plan.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, second from left, speaks during a government meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged doctors, Sunday, to cancel their planned walkout, expressing deep regret over the continued push for the collective walkout "even as sick patients are appealing to you with tears."

During a government meeting, Han emphasized that while the government has committed to stopping administrative actions against trainee doctors who resumed work, completely cancelling these measures is not feasible, as they were implemented in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws.

The prime minister also made it clear that reconsidering the increase in medical school quotas from the beginning is not an option, as all administrative procedures for adding approximately 1,500 new students were finalized back in May. This marks the first such increase in 27 years.

"The government remains ready to engage in any form of dialogue with the doctors' community," he said.